Chris Bumstead's Push Pull Legs Routine (Ironclad Strategy) (2024)

Last updated: March 30, 2024

What does it take to train like Chris Bumstead, a three-time Classic Mr. Olympia champion?

As a seasoned coach, I like following up on bodybuilders and their workout routines to gain insight that will motivate my clients.

One fascinating discovery is that Bumstead relies on the push-pull-legs split to sculpt his physique for the highly competitive Mr. Olympia contest.

Read on and find out if you can handle the challenges of a champion's workout regimen.

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• Age: 28 years
• Height: 6ft 1in
• Weight: 230 lbs contest, 264 lbs off-season
• Waist: 30 inches
• Chest: 51 inches

Some six-day push, pull, legs exercises directly repeat the first three days.

So you'd effectively repeat the same three exercises twice a week.

Chris Bumstead prefers six different exercises incorporating distinct exercises, rep ranges, and angles to work out every fiber muscle group.

He also has room for improvement. And Chris Bumstead push, pull, legs split is intended to strengthen weak regions while minimizing injury.

CBum's biceps and calves are the muscular parts that garner the most criticism. So, special attention and severity methods are built-in on such days.

Below is Chris Bumstead's push, pull, legs workout routine:

• Barbell bench Press (flat or incline) - 5 to 8 repetitions of 2 heavy sets and 10-12 repetitions of 1 back off set
• Dumbbell Shoulder Presses - 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions
• Chest Flies - 3 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions
• Triceps Extensions (superset with flies) - 4 sets of 7 to 10 repetitions
• Lateral Raises (1-minute rest) - 4 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions
• Dips (more upright to strike triceps over chest) - 3 sets to failure

Chris Bumstead’s Push Workout B: Chest, Shoulders, Tris (Delt Heavy)

• Close Grip Bench Press - 3 sets 8 to 10 repetitions
• Standing Barbell Press - 3 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions
• Pec Deck Flies - 1 set 8 to 10 repetitions and 2 sets of 40 seconds
• Overhead Triceps Extension - 3 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions
• Lateral Raises - 4 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions
• Push Ups (superset push-ups with last 3 sets of lateral raises) - 3 sets to failure

• Lat Pulldowns - 2 warm-up sessions and 3 sets 8 to 10 repetitions (triple drop set final set)
• Bent Over Barbell Rows - 2 warm-up sessions, 2 heavy sets, 6 to 8 repetitions, and 1 back off set 10 to12 repetitions
• Incline Dumbbell Curls - 4 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions
• Pull Ups - 3 sets to failure
• EZ bar Curls - 2 sets of 8 to 10 repetitions and 2 sets Duration: 40 seconds

Chris Bumstead Pull Workout B: Back and Biceps (Lower Lat Focus)

• Pull Ups - 3 sets warm-up
• Rack Pulls - 3 sets warm-up and 2 sets of 8 to 10 repetitions
• Hammer Curls - 3 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions
• Reverse Grip Supinated Lat and Row Pulldown - 3 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions
• Cable Curls - 3 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions
• EZ Bar Curls - 2 sets of 8 to 10 repetitions
• Cable Rows - 2 drop sets (sum of 20 reps each)
• Dumbbell Curl - Run the rack to failure

• Walking Lunges - 3 sets of bodyweight warm-ups and 3 weighted working sets of 12 to 15 steps per leg
• Deadlifts or Romanian Deadlifts (RDLs) - 2 warm-up sessions and 3 working groups 10 to 12 reps RDLs (6 to 8 reps if deadlift)
• Hip Thrusts and Glute Kickbacks - 3 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions
• Seated Calf Raises - 6 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions (then bounce reps to failure)
• Hamstring Curls (superset with the last 4 sets of calf raises) - 2 sets of 10 reps and 2 sets of 40 seconds

Leg Day Exercise Reps B: Quad Focus

• Barbell Squats - 3 sets warm-up, 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions, and 1 set of 4 to 6 repetitions
• Leg Press - 2 sets of 40 seconds
• Leg Press Calf Raise (superset with leg press) - 2 sets of 10 repetitions or to failure
• Hip Adductors - 4 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions
• Standing Calf Raises - 4 sets of 10 to 12 reps (plus bounce reps to failure)
• Leg Extensions - 2 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions and 2 sets of triple drop

Chris Bumstead's objective in bodybuilding is to gain mass, not necessarily functional strength.

Chris Bumstead push, pull, legs exercise doesn't always follow a regular structure, and he's been recognized to mix it up to keep his torso guessing.

However, there are some main principles to a Chris Bumstead push, pull, legs exercise routine that never changes:

A Chris Bumstead push, pull, legs workout regimen targets each muscle group with moderate volume and utilizes a double progressive overload method.

He aims for 10 repetitions, and when he gets 10, he increases the weight.

This enables him to keep challenging every muscle and build larger muscle groups.

Targeted Workouts

Chris Bumstead’s workout routine incorporates a variety of workout splits for muscle growth.

This way, he splits his muscle groups up and trains each muscle group once every week.

This lets you concentrate your lifts on a specific area and enhances hypertrophy.

Chris avoids bodyweight exercises like pull-ups and favors heavy weights for incline dumbbell presses, seated calf raises, deadlifts (as part of the infamous Chris Bumstead back exercise), and heavy squats.

The disadvantage of a split workout is that it confines you to one session in each region a week, but since Chris Bumstead exercises so hard, he gets just as many repetitions as if he worked them twice.

Having shared numerous meal plans and diet tips with Chris, I've noticed that his diet strategyis dynamic. He adjusts between bulking and cutting phases based on the specific goals he sets for his physique at any given time.

The diet also varies depending on if it's a competition or off-season. The diet, however, has several constants. For instance, Chris Bumstead often has five meals daily and consumes specific foods such as eggs, chicken breast, bread, rice, low sugar ketchup, and lots of water with little variation.

Chris Bumstead avoids fried foods, excess sugar, processed foods, artificial ingredients, junk foods, and chemical additives to maintain his physique.

In one of our candid conversations, Chris emphasized to me how he places equal, if not more, importance on his nutrition as he does on his workouts. It's this holistic approach that sets him apart. Furthermore, much like his gym regimen, he makes no compromises when it involves eating clean and healthy.

"I progressed from consuming whatever was in sight to grow to fully comprehending the nutrients and the amount I should be consuming to optimize recovery, development, and, most importantly, health."

- Chris Bumstead, IFBB Classic Physique Pro

Chris Bumstead usually consumes 6 meals per day and attempts to ingest 6,500 calories daily.

He prefers clean meals like potatoes, poultry, rice, and steak and eats only as much as his body requires. He eats Ezekiel bread with nut butter, rice, and chicken meals.

We examined Chris Bumstead's recent interview with Simply Shredded to figure out what supplements he takes. During the conversation, he lists the supplements he uses, which are as follows:

• Whey
• Creatine Monohydrate
• BCAA's (branched-chain amino acid)
• Glutamine
• Multivitamins
• Vitargo
• Fish Oil
• Vitamin B Complex
• R-Alpha Lipoic Acid
• Vitamin C

Each one of these supplements has a unique health advantage [1] [2]. The most significant is creatine anhydrous, which restores the body's depleted energy sources [3].

Also, check out our best protein powders for building muscle that complement your fitness objectives with the Chris Bumstead push, pull, and legs split.

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